December 29, 2009

Halbertal's 'The Goldstone Illusion' Honored With Sidney Award

In his annual Sidney Awards, New York Times columnist David Brooks recognizes the best magazine essays. As he writes, "In an age of zipless, electronic media, the idea is to celebrate (and provide online links to) long-form articles that have narrative drive and social impact."

Among those recognized was Moshe Halbertal's "The Goldstone Illusion," which we published in November. Here's what Brooks had to say about it:

Here’s a typical problem: Hamas fires rockets from apartment buildings. Israel calls the residents of the buildings to warn them a counterattack is coming. Hamas then escorts the residents to the roof, knowing Israeli drones will not fire on crowded roofs. Israel then deploys a “roof-knocking missile,” a weapon designed to scare people off roofs in preparation for an attack. Halbertal wrestles with the moral boundaries that should guide this kind of warfare.